Window well construction for autobuses



Feb. 9, 1954 M. M. BROCKWAY WINDOW WELL CONSTRUCTION FOR AUTOBUSES Fiied Dec. 51, 1949 IN VEN TOR. 4/02/14 0 MBWWAY BY W Ma aw flllorlzqy Patented Feb. 9, 1954 PATENT OFFICE WINDOW WELL CONSTRUCTION FOR AUTOBUSES Murillo Martin Brockway, Glendale, Calif. Application December 31, 1949, Serial No. 136,326

Claims.

This invention relates to vehicle body constructions and more particularly to automobile bus structures.

The present automobile bus construction and the like include so-ca1led dry wall sash inserts whereby water which drains into the wall at the window sill is drained from the bottom of the side wall of the vehicle through apertures in the bottom edge of said side well. However, this construction causes the entrapment of considerable moisture in the deep side wall of the bus and also permits a considerable amount of dirt and mud to enter the bottom drain openings because they are located close to the road surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dry wall sash and frame construction wherein water which enters the window sill opening in a drop sash structure is conveniently drained through the outer skin of the wall at or closely adjacent the bottom of the window well and a considerable distance above the lower edge of the side wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved window well structure which in.-

corporates an outer skin construction and provides convenient drainage means which does not affect the appearance of the outer side wall of the vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide an outer side wall skin structure which is sectional and is convenient to install and also to remove in the event access to the interior of the Window well is desired for servicing.

Still another object of the invention is to pro vide a dry wall window well of the type mentioned above wherein drafts blowing into the well from the exterior drain opening are suitably cut off from the interior of the bus body.

The above and other advantages of the inven tion will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an automobile bus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken approximately on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view or" a window well with one vertical side portion cut away.

In Fig. 2 is illustrated a horizontal body frame channel 6. Secured to the horizontal channel 6 is an inner side wall skin portion I e held by metal screws l2. Mounted on the upper edge of the inner skin section In is the reversely bent portion I l of a suitably formed window sill beading strip It. Inside of the skin section It and the beading strip in is a layer of suitable lining paper 18 such as is customary in bus body constructions.

The horizontal channel member 6 shown in Fig. 2 is located approximately midway of the vertical height of the body side wall. Extending downwardly from the channel 5 is a lower outer skin panel section 29 which is provided with horizontally beaded portions 22. A metal screw 2-: extends through the skin portion and into a vertical post such as the post ll of Fig. 3.

Lying outside of the inner skin portion it is a window well pan 25 having an outwardly disposed vertical side fiange 28 with angular edges so and an inwardly bent top flange S2. The flange 32 is connected to the bent over upper edge I? of the inner beading" iii these two parts are secured by a metal screw 35. Between the flanges or bent portions 32 and 1?, a horizontal sealing strip 36 is secured and this strip extends toward the outer portion of the side wall as shown in Fig. 2.

The bottom of the window well pan 2% is, provided with an outwardly and downwardly slanted bottom flange 33 with a downwardly extending edge portion 40, the latter overlying the outer skin panel 26 at the upper edge thereof.

A pair of bumper posts d2 is formed in the slanting bottom 38 of the window well pan ant on these posts are rubber blocks id which provide cushioned supports for a vertically slidable sash 65. The sash 45 is channeled as shown in Fig. 2 to receive a window glass at which is embedded in rubber as at so. Window openings are shown in an upper outer skin panel portion 5 1.

Located in outer spaced relationship to the window well pan 2G is an intermediate outer skin panel portion '52 whose lower edge is bent outwardly at 54 and thence downwardly at 5%. The portion 56 is located in outwardly spaced relation to the bottom of the window well pan 2 5 and the upper edge of the beaded outer skin panel 20. A spacer 58 is located on a bolt til which extends through the lower edge 55 of the outer skin panel .52, the bottom flange 43 of the window well, the upper edge of the skin panel 2t and into the horizontal flange channel a. This structure provides adrain passage 62 which communicates with the interior of the window well Dan 25.

A beading strip 64 has its lower edge reversely bent at 66 to slidably fit upon the upper edge of the skin panel 52 and the upper edge of the beading strip 64 is directed inwardly and downwardly as at 68, to provide an outer window sill section. This sill section is spaced outwardly from the sill portion defined by the horizontally bent upper edge I! of the inner and upper beading strip [6.

Attention is called to Fig. 3 which shows a vertical body frame channel 8 having oppositely disposed flanges 9. The inner skin panel It lies against the flanges 9 of the vertical channel and the window well pan is mounted between spaced pairs of vertical frame channels 8. It will be seen that the outwardly extending window well flanges 28 lie at opposite sides of the vertical channel 8 and the angularly bent ends 30 of the flanges 28 lie against the channel bottom I l. The bent flange portions 30 may or may not be welded to the vertical frame channels 8 as desired. However, if they are not welded, it will be seen that the window well pans can be readily removed for cleaning or replacement by removing the sill screws 34 or the bolts 60 which secure the lower edges of the window well pan.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that moisture from rain or snow which enters the side wall between the window sash 4t and the outer sill portion 68 falls down into the window well and then drains out through the passage 62 with which the bottom of the window well communicates. Consequently all of the interior of the side wall of the vehicle below the window well is kept dry, and is prevented from rusting. The space from the top to the bottom of the window well is relatively short and is given adequate air circulation so that moisture will readily dry and rusting is kept at a minimum. Furthermore, the lower drain passage 62 is located a considerable distance above the bottom of the body and also above the roadway so that accumulation of dirt is not nearly so likely to occur. It is true that a certain amount of dust will find its way into the window well, but this will wash out much more readily than if the drain outlet were positioned close to the roadway where it would accumulate a dust and oil mixture which is difficult to remove.

The elongated horizontal panel type of construction disclosed herein has the advantage of ease of assembly and replacement of individual portions in the event one of the panels becomes damaged. The interior of the window well is readily accessible merely through the removal of the outer skin panel 52 and the beading strip 6 1.

The construction is simple and is readily adapted to a comparatively thin wall structure.

The sealing strip 35 on the inner seal portion is so located that it prevents drafts from blowing into the interior of the bus body between the window sash and the upper portion of the window well pan.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes can be made in the form, details, arrangements and proportions of the various parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. Inan automobile bus, a bus body side wall structure including a framework, an inner skin and an outer skin, the inner and outer skins having registered apertures defining a window opening with a sill, a window well pan extending downwardly between said skins from said sill. the upper portion of said pan being in contact with the inner skin adjacent said sill, the major portion of said pan lying more closely adjacent the inner skin to provide a window receiving space between the major portion of the pan and the outer skin, said outer skin having a drain opening therein: and the lower portion of said window well pan being in liquid flow communication with said drain opening, so liquid in the window well pan will drain through the outer skin and run downwardly off the outer skin.

2. In an automobile bus, a framework including horizontal members and spaced vertical posts and also including an outer skin secured to said framework and having a drain opening therein, said skin having a window opening therethrough bounded at its bottom by a sill, a window well pan having a major portion disposed inwardly from and generally parallel to the major plane of said skin, said window well pan having outwardly disposed vertical side flanges connected to said vertical posts; and a bottom flange on said window well pan extending between said side flanges and being in fiow communication with the drain opening in said skin.

3. In an automobile bus, a framework including horizontal members and spaced vertical posts and also including an outer skin secured to said framework, said outer skin having upper, lower and intermediate panels, the upper panel having a window opening therein, the upper portion of the intermediate panel having a sill portion thereon, the lower edge of said intermediate panel being extended downwardly about the upper edge of the lower panel in spaced relation thereto to define a drain opening, a window well member having a major part spaced inwardly from said intermediate panel; and a bottom portion of the window well member being extended outwardly to the drain opening at the upper edge of said lower panel.

l. The structure in claim 3 and the upper edge of said window well member being spaced inwardly from said sill portion; and a sealing strip along the upper edge of said window well member and extending inwardly toward said sill portion.

5. In an automobile bus, a pair of spaced body panels comprising a hollow side wall section having a window opening with a window sash movably mounted therein, said side wall section having a communicating window well member supported thereby and disposed below the window opening, the top of the window well member being open to the window opening and of a size to receive a window sash, the bottom of said window well member terminating above the bottom of said hollow side wall section, and the outer panel of said side wall section having a drain passage therethrough communicating with the window well member at the bottom thereof.

6. The structure in claim 5 and a part of said side wall section lying outwardly of and defining the outer side of said window well member and comprising a separately removable body panel section.

'7. The structure in claim 5, and said side wall section having a lower outer panel and an upwardly extended panel with a window sill member thereon, a lower part of the upwardly extended panel overlapping the top of said lower panel in spaced relation thereto to define said drain passage, and the bottom of the window well member being disposed above the top of the lower outer panel of the side wall section.

8. The structure in claim 5, and said window well member including a pan having a major vertically disposed portion lying in spaced relation to part of the side wall section, and a downwardly and outwardly disposed bottom portion communicating with the drain passage in the side wall section.

9. The structure in claim 5, and said window well member including a pan having a major vertically disposed portion lying generally in a plane parallel to and spaced from part of said side wall section, and flanges extending outwardly from the vertical side edges of the major portion of said pan, said flanges engaging said part of said side wall section and providing side closures for the window well member.

10. In an automobile bus having a wheeled chassis and a body thereon, a dual bus body side wall panel section having a window opening therethrough and having a window well therein, the top of said window well communicating with said opening, the opening being of a size to receive a window sash therethrough, a member extending between the inner and outer parts of said dual wall section above the bottom of the wall section and defining the bottom of said window well, and

the outer part of said dual wall section having a drain opening therethrough above the bottom thereof adjacent the bottom member of said window well and above the wheeled portion of said chassis to receive flow therefrom and discharge it to the exterior of the bus.

MURILLO MARTIN BR'OCKWAY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,423,857 Kampmann July 25, 1922 1,674,394 Hansen June 19, 1928 1,883,991 Ledwinka Oct. 25, 1932 2,139,258 Carr Dec. 6, 1938 2,159,530 Murphy May 23, 1939 2,187,331 Schulz Jan. 16, 1940 2,253,818 Simpson Aug. 26, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 28,251 Sweden Feb. 22, 1908 

